London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bethnal Green 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green Borough]
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75
that there is a large margin of probable error in
notification figures and that the apparent increase
cannot be accepted as a certain actual increase.
Further interesting statistics have been compiled with regard to three age periods among children for the same quinquennia :
| Case Rate per 1,000 children at ages cited | Death Rate per 1,000 children at ages cited | Case Mortality per 100 cases at ages cited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | 1-5 | 5-15 | 0-1 | 1-5 | 5-15 | 0-1 | 1-5 | 5-15 | |
| 1901-1905 | 2.4 | 11.3 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 36.1 | 16.3 | 7.6 |
| 1906-1910 | 3.0 | 8.9 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 23.5 | 12.4 | 5.4 |
| 1911-1915 | 4.6 | 11.3 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 22.9 | 10.7 | 3.3 |
| 1916-1920 | 5.4 | 16.5 | 8.3 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 16.3 | 12.6 | 3.7 |
| 1921-1925 | 6.8 | 24.7 | 8.8 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 10.8 | 8.6 | 2.6 |
| 1926-1930 | 6.0 | 21.8 | 10.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 10.1 | 3.6 | 1.9 |
| 1931-1934 | 4.4 | 19.5 | 10.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 8.6 | 5.2 | 1.5 |
These figures illustrate the high incidence of the
disease at the age periods 1-5 and 5-15 and while they
are subject to the corrections previously mentioned
they appear to lend more support to the view that
there may be an actual increase than do the figures
for the population as a whole. It will, however, be
noticed that since the peak period 1921-25 there appears
to be a declining tendency.
The substantial decline in mortality, whether
measured on the child population as a whole or on
the notified cases, is a marked feature in each age
group but especially in the 5-15 and in the case
mortality among infants. Again it will be observed
that the war and immediate post-war periods were
characterised by a specially high incidence.
It is not possible to draw conclusions of general
application from these figures, but they certainly
indicate that reduction in Diphtheria incidence sometimes
occurs irrespective of immunisation schemes and